Old Melbourne Gaol

30/05/2026

If this cellblock could talk, what stories would it tell?

Operating from 1845 to 1924, Old Melbourne Gaol held more than 50,000 people within its walls; from petty offenders to some of Victoria’s most infamous prisoners.

Today, the stories of the Gaol are brought to life through guided tours and the self-guided audio tour, revealing a confronting history of crime, punishment and daily life behind bars.

Open daily from 10am–5pm, with selected evening Night Tours also available.

Plan your visit via the link in bio.

26/05/2026

Many 18th and 19th century doctors and scientists believed that it was possible to understand the psychological makeup of people by the shape of their skull.

Pioneering criminologists believed that there were physical clues to understanding criminal behaviour.
They took plaster casts of the heads of executed prisoners to study their brains and skulls.

Known as phrenology, this theory was invented by Austrian physiologist Franz Joseph Gall. The skull was mapped into 35 sections and each was associated with a behaviour. For example, the area above the ears was meant to indicate ‘Destructiveness’ and they noted that violent people had prominent bones in this area.

Phrenology gained wide acceptance in the late 19th century, with the making of death masks becoming standard practice.

The brains of hundreds of criminals were examined after death, as well as those of many eminent people. Eventually the results showed that most criminals had similar sized brains to other citizens.

See death masks from prisoners such as Frederick Bailey Deeming who caused a sensation in Melbourne in April 1892 and he became Victoria’s most notorious
19th century criminal after Ned Kelly. Some seriously considered him to be Jack the Ripper.

And Ned Kelly, also shown here.

Learn more on a tour or visit to Old Melbourne Gaol.

08/05/2026

Australia’s most notorious outlaw met his end at Old Melbourne Gaol. On the Ned Kelly Last Stand Tour you’ll follow the extraordinary final chapter of his life, from the moment he arrived through the gates, wounded and defiant after Glenrowan, to the day he faced the gallows.

The story of the Gaol becomes the backdrop to Kelly’s dramatic end. Discover the truth behind his sensational trial — marred by controversy, a rushed defence, and a judge with a grudge. Stand in the cell where he spent his final hour, see the site of his ex*****on.

🎟️ $5 pp with any general admission day ticket, including a National Trust member ticket.
🗓️ Select times on weekends. Spaces are limited so book when purchasing your Gaol tickets to avoid missing out.
📍377 Russell St, Melbourne

07/05/2026

Married at Old Melbourne Gaol and featured in The Age; the wedding of Angela & Robbie was one to remember, set in a venue like no other.

If you know someone who might be looking for a place full of history and unique character in the heart of Melbourne, share this with them.

📍377 Russell St, Melbourne

Captured by Motta Weddings

https://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au/venue-hire/

03/05/2026

26/04/2026

“...it was kind of scary to just be walking about the gaol in complete darkness.” – Gracelin Chan
“An eerie atmosphere that keeps you always engaged… an uncanny place where you can truly feel that something unsettling once happened.” – Tommaso Tassinari

Step inside Old Melbourne Gaol and experience Ghosts! What Ghosts? — a night tour that blends real history with chilling tales of the unexplained.

Led by expert guides, this after-dark experience reveals the gaol’s darker side through stories of mysterious encounters, strange sounds and lingering presences within its cold stone walls.

Not for the faint of heart.

Book your spot… if you dare.

23/04/2026

Have you heard of Martha Needle, The Richmond Poisoner? 💉

Martha Needle, once seen as a kind and attractive woman, shocked Melbourne when it was revealed she had poisoned her husband, three daughters, and her fiancé’s brother.

Born in Port Adelaide in 1864, Needle endured an abusive childhood and showed signs of mental instability. She married Henry Needle at 17, and by 1891 her husband and their three young girls were dead.

In 1892, she became housekeeper for the Juncken brothers in Richmond. When Otto Juncken proposed to her, his brother Louis objected — and died soon after from violent stomach pains. A year later, another brother, Hermann, fell ill, but a doctor uncovered Martha’s use of rat poison.

Exhumations confirmed arsenic in the bodies of her family and Louis Juncken. Needle was convicted and hanged on 22 October 1894. Despite the evidence, Otto Juncken insisted she didn’t realise what she had done.

Hear stories like this on a visit to the Gaol with our audio guide.

17/04/2026

Last chance to crack the case 🔍

It’s the final weekend of Billie B Brown & The Case of the Missing Treasure at Old Melbourne Gaol — don’t miss your shot at solving the mystery.

Pick up your activity map and follow the clues through the Gaol before time runs out. Perfect for young detectives and families who love the Billie B Brown series.

Inspired by the beloved books by Sally Rippin and illustrator Aki Fukuoka, this is one adventure you won’t want to miss.

🗓 Open Saturday & Sunday
🕙 10am–5pm

National Trust Members go free — join on the day and unlock free or discounted entry to hundreds of heritage places across Victoria, Australia and beyond.

Tag or share with your friends with kids and make a plan for the weekend.

10/04/2026

School holiday fun! Try on Ned Kelly’s replica armour, solve Billie B Brown’s Case of the Missing Treasure and learn about Melbourne’s iconic bluestone Gaol.

Share with a friend who might be looking for things to do with the kids.

07/04/2026

Now’s the time to delve into Melbourne’s past at Old Melbourne Gaol.

We have a diverse lineup of experiences for all ages and interests:

💎Billy B Brown: The Case of the Missing Treasure
🌙 Hangman’s Night Tour
👻 Ghosts? What Ghosts Tour
🪶 Ned Kelly Last Stand Tour
🚔 Life in the City Watch House
👩‍👧 Women and Children of the Gaol
🔒 Cell of Cthulhu

From uncovering Melbourne’s darker history to immersive experiences for younger visitors, there’s something for everyone to discover.

Built in the mid-1800s, this historic bluestone gaol once held prisoners such as Ned Kelly, and was the site of more than 130 ex*****ons. Today, its original cells and corridors offer a powerful insight into the city’s past.

🎟️ Book via the link in bio
📍 Melbourne CBD

Tag someone who’d explore it with you or save this and plan your visit.

02/04/2026

Don’t keep the kids locked up at home these school holidays… let them loose in a Gaol instead 😉

At Old Melbourne Gaol, adventure is on the agenda as kids step into the world of Billie B Brown and join the Secret Mystery Club to crack The Case of the Missing Treasure.

They’ll be peeking into cells, exploring dark corners and following clues through one of Melbourne’s most iconic heritage places 🔍

Along the way:
🪨 Try on Ned Kelly’s replica armour
📚 Pick up a Billie B book to keep the mystery going at home
🍦 Treat them to a well-earned ice cream

It’s immersive, it’s interactive, and it’s made for curious kids aged 6–12. Perfect if they already love the books… or if they’re ready for their very first mystery.

School holidays were made for this kind of adventure.

🗓️ 4–19 April, 10am–5pm
📍 Old Melbourne Gaol, CBD
🎟️ Tickets available online or on arrival

💡 National Trust Members receive FREE family tickets to this experience making it incredible value for families.

Memberships start from $120 per household (+$40 joining fee, waived when you join onsite) and include perks like free or discounted entry to 1,000+ heritage places, exclusive events and more.

Even better? If you’re planning a visit to Pentridge Prison in Coburg these holidays, members also receive FREE family tickets to Prison Break Explorers 2 there too 🙌

Tag a friend who needs to get the kids out of the house and into something seriously fun!

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Developed by ’s Education Team in partnership with , the experience is based on the much-loved Billie B Brown series by Australian Children’s Laureate and illustrated by .art.

28/03/2026

Could you imagine exploring the Gaol in the dark?
Bluestone walls, cold cells… and stories that don’t stay buried after hours!

If you’re curious about Melbourne’s grisly past, step inside after dark:
🪢 Hangman’s Night Tour - uncover the Gaol’s darker history, from infamous inmates to the realities of life (and death) behind bars
👻 Ghosts? What Ghosts!? Night Tour - hear chilling tales and decide for yourself what still lingers within the walls

Prefer daylight? Explore Old Melbourne Gaol at your own pace with general admission, including a self-guided audio tour through this infamous site or join one of day tours.

🎟️ Night tours run on select dates — book via the link in bio
💸 Under 30? $30 general admission tickets available Mon–Thurs

Tag someone who’d brave it with you.

17/03/2026

Hawkers from India were a familiar sight in 19th century country Victoria, walking from door to door selling goods and utensils.

Fatta Chand’s migration to Australia was sponsored by an Indian trader in Melbourne. Chand had only recently arrived in the city when he was charged with the murder of a fellow Indian hawker, Juggoo Mull, whose body was found at the foot of Mount Riddle near Healesville.

Chand was arrested and immediately put on trial for murder. He spoke very little English and denied the charges through his court appointed translator.

Key witnesses in the trial, Indigenous people living at Corranderrk Reserve in Healesville, were scorned by the defence. The jury failed to come to a decision. A second jury was formed and Chand was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Chand went on a hunger strike when in gaol and was force-fed beef tea in defiance of his religious beliefs.

Chand was hanged on 27 April 1891. He was only 24 years old and protested his innocence to the end. His final request was that his relatives back in India be told that he had died of cholera and his body burnt, such was his shame at being hanged.

The case aroused little public interest other than renewing racist calls for restricted immigration.

Hear stories like this and more on a tour of the Gaol.

14/03/2026

Arrested in Melbourne? This is where you would have ended up.

The City Watch House at Old Melbourne Gaol operated as Melbourne’s central custody centre from 1909 to 1994, where people arrested across the city were processed and held while awaiting their day in court.

Join a guided Watch House tour to explore the padded cell, exercise yard with spot to get your mug shot taken, and the original holding cells, many still bearing the graffiti of people arrested, like Chopper Read and Squizzy Taylor.

Book a tour and discover this interesting chapter of Melbourne’s justice history.

04/03/2026

We know a lot of you are fascinated by Ned Kelly. What is it that you find most fascinating about his story?

What parts would you like to learn more about? We’re curious to know.

We do a deep dive into Ned Kelly on our guided day and night tours (next one on Saturday night). Have you been on one before? What was your favourite part?

Tell us the comments!

02/03/2026

Like games and storytelling? Step inside the former City Watch House at Old Melbourne Gaol for Cell of Cthulhu, a three-hour, one-shot collaborative storytelling experience unlike anything you’ve played before.

Operating from 1909 until 1994 as Melbourne’s central custody centre, the Watch House’s authentic cells and imposing atmosphere provide the perfect setting for an immersive adventure. Each game unfolds inside a real holding cell, where tension, imagination, and storytelling combine to transport players into eerie worlds.

Guided by a professional Game Master from , each session is a complete, self-contained tale, with a maximum of five players per table.

🗓️ Wednesday 29 April, 6.30–9.30pm�Wednesday 24 June, 6.30–9.30pm�
📍 Former City Watch House, Old Melbourne Gaol

🎟️ $85 Adult | $76.50 Members
Group bookings welcome.

Link in bio for details.

28/02/2026

"So this is Ned Kelly. Well, it's what he looked like. A death mask was made after his ex*****on at Old Melbourne Gaol in 1880. Apparently it was a thing designed to freak out criminals and study the lumps and bumps on their heads. It's also creepy as." - Words and image by

We love seeing your photos of the gaol, don't forget to tag us Old Melbourne Gaol for a chance to be featured!

Want to learn more about Ned Kelly? Visit the Gaol and do an audio guide or go deeper on a tour.

28/02/2026

26/02/2026

Award-winning Court Room Dramas now available at a subsidised rate for eligible schools.

For teachers, this means powerful, curriculum-aligned learning experiences that place students at the centre of a live courtroom reenactment. Using scripts and costumes, students step into roles, examine evidence and explore real legal and social issues, building critical thinking, empathy and informed discussion.

Choose from three compelling programs:
- Respect Me: Consent and Teen Sexting
- Culpable Driving
- The Trial of Ned Kelly: reenact the infamous 1880 trial on the very site where it took place.

📚 Programs align with the Victorian Curriculum.

📩 Limited subsidised places available. To check your school’s eligibility and secure a booking, email [email protected] or learn more at:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/educationprograms/court-room-dramas/

The Court Fund Grant is made possible through the support of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria.

25/02/2026

Are you fascinated by the supernatural…or just brave enough to find out? 👀

Step inside the bluestone walls of the Old Melbourne Gaol after dark for Ghosts? What Ghosts? - our 8pm night tour that explores decades of unexplained sights, sounds and encounters.

Led by experienced guides with an intimate knowledge of the gaol’s darker history, this immersive experience delves into eerie tales that have lingered long after the cells fell silent. Not for the faint-hearted.

🕯 8pm–9pm
🗓 Thu 26 & Sat 28 February, Sat 7 & 14 March & Fri 20 March
🔞 Ages 16+ (due to graphic content)

Have you toured the Gaol or joined a Ghosts? What Ghosts? tour and experienced something you can’t explain? Share in the comments!

Spots on upcoming tours are limited.

🎟️ Book via the link in our comments while they last and tag someone who’s fascinated by history and the supernatural.

21/02/2026

Ball and chain. Punishment masks. Whips. Hangings.

Conditions at Old Melbourne Gaol in the 1800s were harsh, disciplined and often confronting.

Could you imagine what daily life behind these bluestone walls was really like?

Step inside the original cells, see the historic punishment equipment, and uncover the real stories of those who were imprisoned here from the 1840s to the early 1900s.

See cells dedicated to telling the stories of the Kelly Gang and see the death mask of Ned Kelly.

🎟️ Save this and experience it for yourself.

If you’ve visited before, tell us about your experience in the comments or share with someone you think would be keen to visit.

14/02/2026

Did you know? Ned Kelly’s armour weighed over 40 kg and was crafted from plough mouldboards and iron bits in the lead-up to the 1880 Glenrowan siege. Designed to stop bullets, it gave Kelly and his gang a ghostly, intimidating look, but limited their mobility and left their legs exposed. 

Here at Old Melbourne Gaol you can try on a replica of Ned Kelly’s armour and step into a piece of Australia’s outlaw past. Take a self-guided audio tour or join a guided experience to uncover the story of Ned Kelly, his gang, and his dramatic final days.

And if you want to see the actual armour worn at Glenrowan, it’s on display nearby at the State Library Victoria Redmond Barry Reading Room.

Book your visit, join a tour, or explore at your own pace with our audio guide.

10/02/2026

🏛️🍸 Cell Block Speakeasy — one night only for Festival

Step beyond the heavy doors of Old Melbourne Gaol and into a world of vintage drinks, moody jazz and 1920s glamour. For this exclusive night, forgotten cell blocks transform into a roaring speakeasy hidden in the shadows.

Armed with your stamp card, you’ll journey through four unique spaces, each serving a signature cocktail inspired by the era. Between stops, roving service keeps the night flowing with curated wines, beers, soft options and canapés.

Low lighting. Vintage styling. Period music.

An unforgettable evening inside one of Melbourne’s most iconic heritage sites and brought to you by .

🗓️ 28 March 2026
🕖 7–10pm
📍 Old Melbourne Gaol
🎟️ Tickets on sale now — don’t miss out. Link in bio.

08/02/2026

By the late 1850s, one in 10 Victorians came from China. An Gaa was one of thousands of Chinese men who came to Australia’s goldfields to make their fortune.

Most of the men arrived at Melbourne’s port and made their way to Dai Gum San (Big Gold Mountain) - the Bendigo goldfields in central Victoria.

The Chinese miners encountered hostility and racism. They were hardworking, sending most of their earnings home to pay off loans and feed their families.
There was immense pressure to find gold.

An Gaa was mining for gold at the Lodden River near Castlemaine, where he shared a bark hut with fellow countryman Pooey Waugh.

Each night, after their day’s work, they smoked an o***m pipe together. On the night of 13 July 1875, An Gaa murdered his friend for reasons he never discosed.

The police went to the hut and found An Gaa eating his supper alongside the body.

Gaa was found guilty and sentenced to hang by Sir Redmond Barry but as his conduct had been so strange, doubts arose as to his sanity.

A last-minute appeal to stop the ex*****on was made to the Victorian Governor by three Chinese immigrants of Christian faith, claiming that An Gaa had a mental illness. The appeal was unsuccessful and An Gaa was executed at Melbourne Gaol on 30 August 1875.

Stories like this one can be discovered on a tour of the Gaol. Have you toured before? Or is it on your must-visit list?

03/02/2026

Want to know more about Ned Kelly?

Explore the cells dedicated to his story and even see his replica armour.

For more, join the Ned Kelly’s Last Stand Guided Tour which follows the extraordinary final chapter of Australia’s most infamous bushranger, from the moment he arrived through the Gaol gates, wounded and defiant after Glenrowan, to the day he faced the gallows.

Tours run on weekends and select evenings. Spaces are limited, so be sure to book your Ned Kelly’s Last Stand tour when purchasing your Gaol tickets to avoid missing out.

Share with a friend who’d be fascinated by this chapter of Australian history.